These profiles are a closer look at the characters of The Rising Flame—not to explain them, but to linger with them. They reflect who these people are at this point in the story, shaped by what they’ve survived.
Irma Hagtorn
The girl who survived by staying small—and the woman forced to decide whether survival is enough.
Who she is beneath the surface
Irma’s silence is not passivity; it is a learned form of protection. She has spent years reading rooms, moods, and dangers with near-painful precision, measuring her words and reactions to avoid punishment or loss. This hyper-awareness makes her observant, intelligent, and deeply empathetic—but also riddled with self-doubt. Irma fears her own power not because she doesn’t want it, but because she’s been taught that wanting anything at all is dangerous.
What she wants vs. what she fears
- Wants: Safety. Belonging. The freedom to exist without apology. A life that is truly her own.
- Fears: Losing control. Hurting others. Becoming the monster she’s been warned against.
How she sees herself
Irma believes that being “good” means being quiet, useful, and unproblematic. The cost of that belief is immense: she absorbs blame easily, doubts her own instincts, and struggles to trust that her anger—or her power—might be justified.
How others see her
To some, Irma appears fragile or withdrawn. To others, unsettlingly intense. Very few see how much effort it takes for her to hold herself together.
Brand Silverelv
Artwork by @illustratoramenakalani
The warmth that keeps the dark at bay—and the heart that feels everything, whether it wants to or not.
Who he is beneath the surface
Brand meets the world head-on. He jokes, teases, and flirts not because he takes things lightly, but because he refuses to let fear have the final word. Humor is his shield, movement his comfort—when something feels wrong, his instinct is to do something about it. This makes him brave, loyal, and disarmingly open… but also deeply unsettled by things he cannot fix.
Brand believes in people first and systems second. He trusts his gut more than rules, and his heart more than caution. When faced with suffering, his instinct is not to look away—but to reach out, even when he doesn’t fully understand what he’s reaching toward.
What he wants vs. what he fears
- Wants: Connection. Purpose. To protect the people he loves.
- Fears: Helplessness. Being too late. Failing when it matters most.
How he sees Irma
Brand sees Irma as someone worth choosing—again and again. He’s drawn to her quiet strength and sharp mind, but he struggles to understand the depth of her fear. His desire to make things better sometimes clashes with the truth that not all wounds can be soothed.
How he sees himself
Brand believes his worth lies in what he can do—how fast he reacts, how well he protects, how much he can lighten the weight for others. He measures himself by usefulness and impact, and struggles when faced with pain he can’t fix. Standing still feels like failure to him, even when staying is what’s needed most.
How others see him
To most, Brand appears confident, charming, and unshakably brave. Few notice how quickly he shoulders responsibility, or how deeply he takes it when something goes wrong.
Åsa Silverelv
The shield that holds—not by force, but by staying.
Who she is beneath the surface
Åsa is defined by loyalty, but not blind loyalty. It may look like she reacts first and thinks later, but she carries responsibility with a steadiness that can look like calm when it is actually constant calculation. Where others rush or retreat, Åsa endures. She has learned that strength isn’t always loud—and that sometimes the most powerful choice is to remain.
Protectiveness comes naturally to her, but it comes at a cost. Åsa is skilled at putting her own wants aside in favor of what others need, convincing herself that patience is the same as fulfillment. She rarely questions whether the life she’s living is the one she would have chosen for herself.
What she wants vs. what she fears
- Wants: Belonging. Stability. A place where she can be herself fully.
- Fears: Becoming unnecessary. Being shunned for who she is.
How she sees Irma
Åsa sees Irma’s quiet as something precious rather than fragile. She understands restraint instinctively and recognizes it as strength, even when Irma herself cannot. Her loyalty is rooted in respect, not obligation.
How she sees herself
Åsa believes her value lies in reliability. She takes pride in being the one others can depend on, even when it means setting her own needs aside. To her, strength is measured by endurance and restraint—and she rarely considers that wanting more might not be a weakness.
How others see her
To most, Åsa appears unshakable—calm, capable, and dependable. Few see how much of herself she holds back, or how often she chooses duty over desire.
— artwork —
Henrik Eriksson
The steady presence who watches, waits, and carries more than he says.
Who he is beneath the surface
Henrik moves through the world with quiet deliberation. He listens more than he speaks, weighs his words carefully, and rarely acts without considering the cost. This restraint is not hesitation—it is experience. He has learned that survival often depends on knowing when not to intervene, and that some battles are lost the moment they are rushed into.
Beneath his calm exterior lies a deep well of responsibility. Henrik feels accountable not only for his own choices, but for the safety of those around him. He is slow to trust, slower to reveal himself, and deeply uncomfortable being seen as an authority—even when others naturally look to him for guidance.
What he wants vs. what he fears
- Wants: Peace. Stability. A life where vigilance is no longer required.
- Fears: Repeating old failures. Leading others into danger. Being forced to choose who is worth saving.
How he sees Irma
Henrik sees Irma not as fragile, but as someone carrying far more than she should have had to. He recognizes her restraint as a form of discipline and treats her with a respect that asks nothing of her before she is ready to give it. Even she believes it or not.
How he sees himself
Henrik believes his role is to endure and to protect quietly, without recognition. He measures his worth by how much he can shoulder without complaint, and tends to view his own needs as secondary—or irrelevant—compared to the safety of others.
How others see him
To many, Henrik appears distant or inscrutable. In truth, he is simply careful—aware that words, once spoken, cannot be taken back, and that trust must be earned slowly.
— artwork —
Liv Holskor
The mother figure who never learned where protection ends—and control begins.
Who she is beneath the surface
Liv defines herself through responsibility. She believes that love means vigilance, sacrifice, and making difficult choices on behalf of others—whether they ask for it or not. Fear governs her more than she will ever admit: fear of loss, of chaos, of what happens when order slips through her fingers.
To Liv, restraint is morality. Control is safety. She convinces herself that harm is justified if it prevents something worse. This belief allows her to cross lines she would never name as cruelty, even as the consequences accumulate around her.
Liv does not see herself as manipulative. She sees herself as necessary.
What she wants vs. what she fears
- Wants: Control. Stability. A world that behaves as expected.
- Fears: Losing authority. Being proven wrong. Facing the damage she’s caused.
How she sees Irma
Liv sees Irma as both precious and dangerous. She believes Irma must be contained for her own good—and for the good of everyone else. Irma’s growing independence feels, to Liv, like betrayal rather than growth.
How she sees herself
Liv believes she is doing what others are too weak—or too naïve—to do. She measures her worth by how much she can hold together, and interprets resistance as ingratitude rather than warning. In her mind, she is the last line of defense against disaster.
How others see her
To some, Liv appears stern but dependable. To others, overbearing and unforgiving. Few recognize how much of her authority is fueled by fear rather than strength.
— artwork —